--- title: "These 3D-Printed Mars Habitats Just Won a NASA Award" description: "NASA crowned the top three winners of the 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge's latest round, challenging teams to \"complete a virtual construction level.\"" date: "2019-03-28" modified: "2019-03-28" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/3d-printed-space-habitat-challenge-nasa-winners" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Mars" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "3d printing" - "mars" - "moon" - "NASA" --- # These 3D-Printed Mars Habitats Just Won a NASA Award ![NASA crowned the top three winners of the 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge's latest round, challenging teams to "complete a virtual construction level."]() *\Image: Team SEArch+/Apis Cor\* ## Space Habitat NASA's 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge that kicked off in 2015 has challenged teams around the U.S. to render, prove the structural integrity, and construct a model of a habitat that could one day shelter humans on the surface of the Moon or even Mars. And yesterday, NASA [crowned the top three winners]() of the Challenge's latest round, challenging the participating teams to "complete a virtual construction level." The top three teams, which split a prize of $100,000, hail from New York, Arkansas, and New Haven — and their designs are bold visions of off-world habitation. ## First Place The winner of this round of the Challenge is team SEArch+/Apis Cor for a vertical habitat design that can be continuously reinforced with additional 3D printing. Light enters through circular ports around the outside and the top. https://youtu.be/W4pxp5AGeNE ## Second Place Second place goes to Team Zopherus for a design that would be constructed by a roving 3D printer. https://youtu.be/2TLnCOCVicE ## Third Place Team Mars Incubator was awarded third place. Its pods are made out of hexagonal pieces of 3D printed plates consisting of polyethylene, fibers, and locally sourced regolith, could one day house a team of astronauts. https://youtu.be/nHxO-zmqdLM It's a fascinating competition that paints an incredibly detailed picture of what the future of Moon or even Mars exploration could look like one day — and we've never been closer to that future. **READ MORE:** [Top Three Teams Share $100,000 Prize in Complete Virtual Construction Level of 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge]() \[*NASA*\] **More on the Challenge:** *[Here Are The Finalists For NASA's Mars Habitat Design Competition]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()